As always, I thank all my reviewers! I am so glad that you guys enjoy reading it! Here is chapter 10, sorry if it is a little short...

Chapter 10

Groggily, I awoke in my bed. I did not know what time it was, but I was sure that it was not yet morning. Not knowing what woke me up, I looked around my room, but I did not see anything. Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming from above my head.

"Erik?" I called out softly.

No answer came. Soon I was sitting up in my bed with the sheets pulled up to my neck. Erik was not here, which made me all alone… in the dark. Was it him that was walking above me? I was not sure. 'That's all it is,' I thought. 'Erik is just walking around.' Just as I had lied back down, a hand shook me.

"Come, Emma," a voice said. "We must go."

"Erik?" I asked again.

"Yes," he replied. "Now come along."

"Where are we going?"

"Up."

"But… why?"

"Someone is here."

I got up out of my bed and before I could do anything else, Erik took my hand and pulled me.

"Why are we in such a rush?" I asked. My mind was not working properly, and I could not seem to function. Why were we leaving?

"We must not be found."

Erik took me over to his boat and dragged me in with him. Hastily, he grabbed the pole and began to row towards the gate. We were floating smoothly along when we took an abrupt turn to the left. I had not left Erik's house since I had come here which made everything new to me. Along all the walls there were faces of different animals. Mainly, there were lions and eagles. Though I did not question Erik, I wondered what the animals meant.

Finally, we came to the end of the lake and Erik picked me up out of the boat. He rushed me behind a wall and made me be silent. I heard footsteps coming from the other side of the wall we were behind. When the figure came into view, I did not recognize him, at first.

The man paused just a little after where Erik and I were. As I studied him more, I began to recognize him little by little. When I had finally figured it out, it was too late. The man hung his head and turned around and left. Just as I was about to run after him, Erik seized me and held me back.

When Erik was sure that the man had gone, he lead me back to the boat and we started back to his home.

"I thought you said that they didn't ever come looking for me," I whispered to Erik. He said nothing. He knew that I had recognized that man to be my father. Though I did not remember his name, my mind and heart knew it.

"I thought that if you knew they had looked for you, you would not want to live with me anymore," Erik said softly.

"Of course I would rather live with my parents outside than down here in this… this dark place," I told him coldly. "Why did you so desperately want to keep me?"

"I enjoyed the company."

"That's it? That's all you have to say for yourself?"

"I do not have to explain myself to you! You are only a mere child! You know nothing about me, about my life, about my reasons! Do not ever speak of what you do not know!"

After his last words, I kept to myself. I wanted to know more of him. About him and my parents, their history. But he would never tell me, I was only a child, after all.

The rest of the boat ride was ridden in silence. Neither of us wanted to speak to one another. When we did get back to Erik's house, I went directly to my room and stayed in there for the rest of the morning. I wanted no organ lesson today for I was too tired. Erik had pulled me out of my bed for no reason at all. Why did he take me all the way up there when he knew that my father would never even come close to his house? I shook my head. How did I ever get into this type of situation? How did I go from living with my nice parents to living with this deranged man? This man who lived in the shadows, this man who wore a mask… how did it come to this?

I went over to my desk and opened one of its drawers. I pulled out the little box that held the ring that Erik had given to me. Opening the box I looked down on the beautiful ring and took it out. Walking into the other room, I went over to Erik. He was sitting at the table that we normally ate our meals at.

"Here," I said while holding out the ring. "I want nothing of yours." I dropped the ring into his hand and walked back towards my room. Behind me, I heard a peculiar sound, like a man crying.

Turning around, I looked at Erik. He was bent over, clenching the ring in his fist and weeping. His head was bent down so that he could feel his fist with the ring. It was a very sad sight for one to behold. At first, I pitied him, but then I turned back around and went into my room. I was not going to feel sorry for my kidnapper, the one who stole me from my parents. Just as I was about to close the black curtain that blocked my room, I looked back at Erik.

As I watched him, my heart sunk. What had he gone through to deserve this? All he ever wanted was someone to love him. 'No,' I thought while shaking my head. 'I will not give in to this and comfort him after what he was done.' And with that I closed the curtain and I saw no more.